The Best of Shonagh Koea's Short Stories
The Best of Shonagh Koea's Short Stories

Author: Shonagh Koea

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2013-03-01

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1775531163

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Blackly humorous yet poignant and multi-levelled, finely crafted and thoroughly entertaining, this short-story collection is from a unique writer with a rare and distinctive talent. 'Reading Shonagh Koea's stories . . . is like sampling a box of good, rich chocolates. Read (or eat) too many at once and there's a risk of sensual overload; restrict yourself to one or two, and you miss the pleasure of indulgence, and the subtle distinction of each offering.' So a reviewer in New Zealand Books summed up what another called Shonagh Koea's 'always stylish and scrupulously crafted' writing. Her short stories have been widely admired for their dexterity with language, startingly original imagery, a fine sense of irony that slices through any pretence and a wicked, black humour. Shonagh Koea's first short stories were published in such magazines as the Listener and Metro, and in 1981 she won the Air New Zealand Short Story Competition. Two collections followed: The Woman Who Never Went Home and Other Stories and Fifteen Rubies by Candlelight. While she is best known as a novelist, her short stories have a wide following, as the Nelson Evening Mail commented: 'Shonagh Koea is as addictive as nicotine or coffee - with, perhaps, major withdrawal symptoms.'

Chic Stays
Chic Stays

Author: Melinda Stevens

Publisher: Assouline Publishing

Published: 2016-10-01

Total Pages: 5

ISBN-13: 1614285373

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From Sofia Coppola’s luxurious family retreat in beautiful Bernalda, Italy, to the beaches of Kate Winslet’s secret Scottish hideaway of Eilean Shona, to Kate Moss’s favorite beach in the Maldives, each of these thirty-six personal tales of the loveliest spots around the globe are packed with anecdotes and lyrical descriptions to transport readers. The photography bursting across each page—from the crystal waters and azure skies of UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa, to the lush hillsides of Sri Lanka, to the hipster hangouts of Portland, Oregon—adds to the allure, inspiring a new desire to discover these beloved corners of the world. Condé Nast Traveller Britain has been setting the luxury travel agenda for almost twenty years, providing inspiration and advice for discerning travelers looking for unique, unforgettable experiences. Editor Melinda Stevens, named BSME New Editor of the Year in 2013, began her career at Vogue, followed by roles at Tatler, The Sunday Times and the London Evening Standard. Fiona Kerr is features editor and Matthew Buck is photographic editor of Condé Nast Traveller.

The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect

Author: Rajat Chaudhuri

Publisher: Niyogi Books

Published: 2018-08-16

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 938690652X

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A self-obsessed Calcutta detective who goes by his last name `Kar’, an enigmatic internet cafe hostess in Seoul, and a hotshot geneticist labouring away on a top-secret corporate project. These are just a few pieces in the puzzle that need to be put together to explain a world sucked into the whirlpool of the `butterfly effect’. In the decaying capital city of a near-future Darkland, which covers large swathes of Asia, Captain Old – an off-duty policeman – receives news that might help to unravel the roots of a scourge that has ravaged the continent. As stories coalesce into stories – welding past, present and future together – will a macabre death in a small English town or the disappearance of Indian tourists in Korea, help to blow away the dusts of time? From utopian communities of Asia to the prison camps of Pyongyang and from the gene labs of Europe to the violent streets of Darkland – riven by civil war, infested by genetically engineered fighters – this time-travelling novel crosses continents, weaving mystery, adventure and romance, gradually fixing its gaze on the sway of the unpredictable over our lives.

Sewing the Shadows Together
Sewing the Shadows Together

Author: Alison Baillie

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2019-03-12

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 191368296X

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When a gruesome cold case is reopened in a coastal Scottish town, dark secrets threaten those closest to the victim in this psychological thriller. It was a little more than three decades ago that thirteen-year-old Shona McIver was raped and murdered in Portobello, Scotland, a quiet seaside town just outside Edinburgh. To this day, the crime casts a shadow over the lives of her brother Tom and best friend Sarah. But when modern DNA evidence reveals that the wrong man was convicted, the case—and its terrible history—are reopened. Soon Sarah and Tom find themselves caught up in the search for the real culprit. And with everyone falling under suspicion, Sarah begins to realize that nothing in her seemingly perfect life is as it appears. But will the killer strike again before the truth is revealed?

The Kindness of Strangers
The Kindness of Strangers

Author: Shonagh Koea

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The author looks back over her varied life as a daughter, wife, mother, journalist and novelist. In these moving vignettes, often centred on food; she gives us insight into her life and into a bygone New Zealand. She offers recipes, gentle encounters with friends and strangers and wry observations of social interactions and the place food has in our everyday lives.

Conditional Citizens
Conditional Citizens

Author: Laila Lalami

Publisher: Pantheon

Published: 2020-09-22

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1524747165

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A New York Times Editors' Choice • Best Book of the Year: Time, NPR, Bookpage, L.A. Times What does it mean to be American? In this starkly illuminating and impassioned book, Pulitzer Prize­­–finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to U.S. citizen, using it as a starting point for her exploration of American rights, liberties, and protections. "Sharp, bracingly clear essays."—Entertainment Weekly Tapping into history, politics, and literature, she elucidates how accidents of birth—such as national origin, race, and gender—that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still cast their shadows today. Lalami poignantly illustrates how white supremacy survives through adaptation and legislation, with the result that a caste system is maintained that keeps the modern equivalent of white male landowners at the top of the social hierarchy. Conditional citizens, she argues, are all the people with whom America embraces with one arm and pushes away with the other. Brilliantly argued and deeply personal, Conditional Citizens weaves together Lalami’s own experiences with explorations of the place of nonwhites in the broader American culture.

imwe imba - the other room
imwe imba - the other room

Author: Munashe Wadzanai

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2022-11-02

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 3756844846

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Munashe is a bright adolescent girl living in Zimbabwe. She feels a pressure to leave Zimbabwe and to follow most of her peers to a university or to work in the West. However, she is not convinced that this is what she really wants. Via Thomas, an experienced European scientist and manager, initiating a technical Start-up Hub at her boarding school, Munashe comes in contact with Anne. Imwe imba, the other room, is a novel covering the last 2 high-school years of Munashe and Anne in letters between the young women as well as from Thomas to Simon, his now retired personal and business coach. Through the letters, Anne and Simon discover unknown and fascinating aspects of the (southern) African society. Especially, since Thomas includes stories from Nelson, Munashe's grandfather and small holder farmer. Based on the stories and hearing about Munashe's activities in more technical projects, Anne develops a critical attitude towards both the current Western school system and the effectiveness of traditional Western development or aid projects. On the other side, Munashe learns that Europe is not the land of milk and honey for everybody. Munashe and Anne, assisted by Thomas, review the so-called development work activities in emerging markets and propose a promising approach to economically uplift more rural areas. In part 2, the Start-up Hub activities are proven to be sustainable and Munashe asks "where do we want to go?" A design is made for a more ideal (global) society and the issues faced, implementing their ideas, are discussed. The letters in this novel cover a wide spectrum of topics: personal struggles and contemplations, educational and business practices, science and art, geopolitics and historical backgrounds, change management as well as social developments. Each letter is written in an accessible language and underlined with references to allow the reader to explore more. Most of all, "imwe imba" wants to create awareness. Awareness for the wonderful, "real" life in Africa. Awareness that Africa is prosperity. Awareness that our younger generation is perfectly able to initiate change. That a single person can initiate change. That complaining or being upset about various (unacceptable) global happenings or actions is not enough. That a further polarisation and blaming "the others" doesn't help. That we have to do things. That we should not fear change but embrace the changes that are needed to come to the necessary improvements.

Running with Mother
Running with Mother

Author: Christopher Mlalazi

Publisher: Weaver Press

Published: 2012-08-16

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 1779222122

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Unsentimental and unselfpitying, this short but powerful novel by Chris Mlalazi vivifies an account by Rudo, a fourteen-year-old school girl who observes the terrifying events that take place in her village. Running with Mother provides us with a gripping story of how Rudo, her mother, her aunt and her little cousin survive the onslaught. Shocking as the story that unfolds may be, it is balanced by the resilience, self-respect, unselfishness and stoicism of the protagonists. Mlalazi's novel is written with insight, humour and provides a salutory reminder that even in the worst of times, we can find humanity.